I honestly think that as far as musical depth goes, Before These Crowded Streets is the best. The production is head over heels better than on the other two recordings, and the sophistication of the compositions is on a higher level. Another thing I noticed is that the band has more of an edge on this album. Not quite as uppity and happy sounding. That's not a bad quality to have by any means, but I hear a more mature DMB on that album.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JazznFunk: I honestly think that as far as musical depth goes, Before These Crowded Streets is the best. The production is head over heels better than on the other two recordings, and the sophistication of the compositions is on a higher level. Another thing I noticed is that the band has more of an edge on this album. Not quite as uppity and happy sounding. That's not a bad quality to have by any means, but I hear a more mature DMB on that album.

Check 'em all out, but this one is the best, IMHO.

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I agree with you about this, but for me, Crash is a more enjoyable experience. I didn't even like Before... that much when it came out. Turns out, it was over my head a little bit. It took me two years to catch up with Dave and appreciate the album. But there's something about Crash that keeps it my favorite. Maybe it was that passionate performance of Say Goodbye from the MTV Crashing the Quarter special. I don't know, but there's something.

And I agree with Jim that Stefan Lessard is not put far enough up in the mix. He's a good player.

Because it got a Grammy?! A POPularity contest?! PUH-LEEZ!
Actually, 'cause I live in Va, most of the stuff on that release was already available on a couple DMB "local" cds.
DMB's best moments are LIVE.

Hard to pick one, but I'd probably slightly lean towards "Before These Crowded Streets"...the metrical fun of The Dreaming Tree, the simplicity of Stay, the wide open phatness of Don't Drink The Water, the hugeness of Rapunzel...yeah..."Crowded Streets."

FWIW, I agree, too, that Lessard is a fantastic player, even if he admits that he's relatively new to the instrument, but the interplay of himself, Dave's guitar parts, and most fun to listen to: Carter Beauford's amazing percussion. All those elements combined make for a fun musical listening experience.